April | 2009 | Matthew Kenney

Beside the Road

Posted by: Matthew

A couple of weeks ago, I drafted an article about the connection, or lack thereof, which we have to our immediate environment. Its suggestion was for us to get more involved in the procurement of our food, grow a garden when we have the space, forage when we have the opportunity, and become more in sync, overall, with nature and the seasons. As I was about to edit it, I realized that the topic has already been fully covered in the past few months, especially given the new project of Michelle Obama, the organic garden at the White House. It seemed redundant to even bother. As is usually the case for me during exercise, another subject presented itself while I was on an afternoon run a few days ago.

With a few warm early Spring afternoons, the snow finally started melting away, especially on the edges of fields and roads. Unfortunately, the first of Spring in Maine is not always as attractive as one might imagine – it’s actually a bit dark and damp, but part of the seasonal transition, so it does have its own beauty. An unfortunate fact is the subject of what may be hiding under that beautiful snow when it does leave us and it is quite revealing in many ways. While I’ve always noticed a lot of litter, there seemed to be more than ever this year, and I decided to take a few images from a stretch of road less than 1/2 mile long. Perhaps not surprisingly, the debris comes from some of our (least) favorite sources. Let me offer a hint – I didn’t find any Kombucha bottles next to the highway. There seems to be a direct correlation to how we treat our bodies and how we treat our planet. This is unfortunate, as fast food continues to grow in some markets, and its negative impact, which begins at the production stage, has certainly secured its status by going full circle.

White Corn Tamale

Posted by: Matthew

White Corn Filling

12 corn husks
5 cups white corn kernels
2 medium tomatoes, seeded and minced
1 red bell pepper, seeded and minced
¼ cup sun dried tomatoes, chopped
1¼ cups pine nuts, soaked 1-2 hours
1¼ cups cashews, soaked 1-2 hours
1teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon nutritional yeast
2 tbs. minced red onion
2 tbs. chopped fresh cilantro
1 clove garlic, peeled and minced
1/2cup lime juice

Place 3 cups of the corn, the tomatoes and the red bell pepper in a bowl; set aside. In a food processor, blend the remaining ingredients until very smooth. Pour into bowl with other ingredients and mix well with hands.

Serrano Spiced Portobello

4 Portobello mushrooms, cut in half and into 8 slices per side.
1 Serrano Chili, Seeded and minced
3 tbs. olive oil
Salt and Freshly Ground Black Pepper

Toss mushrooms with olive oil, Serrano and salt then spread on Teflex sheets to dehydrate for 12 hours. Mix corn filling with Portobello.

Raw Cacao Mole

6 dried ancho/chipotle chilies, soaked 2-3 hours and drained
½ cup chopped red onion
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tbs. sunflower seeds, soaked 4-6 hours and drained
½ cup almond butter
½ cup raisins, soaked 20-30 minutes
6 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup water
2 tbs. agave
2 tsp. ground cumin
½ tsp. ground coriander
1 tsp. salt
¼ tsp.cayenne
1 cup cacao powder

Blend all ingredients in vita-mix until smooth.

To Prepare Corn Husks

Soak corn husks in warm water for 1 to 2 hours. Dry carefully. To assemble, lay the corn husks flat and place about 1/2 cup of the corn mixture onto the center of each. Fold the bottom up over the filling and then fold the sides over. Using the husk strips tie the tops of each tamale. Place the tamales in the dehydrator for 2 hours.

Guacamole

3 ripe avocados, peeled, pitted and roughly chopped
1 large handful cilantro leaves, finely chopped
2 tablespoons lime juice
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 scallion, finely chopped
1/2 red chili finely minced
1 jalapeño, seeded and minced

Place all ingredients in a small bowl and mash well with a fork.

Assembly

Cacao Powder for garnish
Cilantro Leaves

Spoon a generous amount of mole sauce on each plate, and set two tamales on sauce. Spoon Guacamole on top and garnish with cacao powder and cilantro leaves.

Recipe excerpted from Entertaining in the Raw, published by Gibbs Smith Publisher, 2009. Click here to purchase online.

Raw French Macaroons

Posted by: Matthew

One of the most exciting things about raw foods, aside from the health benefit, is having the opportunity to reinvent dishes. Sometimes you feel like an artist that has discovered a new medium. This is one aspect that I find most inspiring – being creative. Some dishes are easy, some dishes are incredibly complex and a lot of them have just never been done before! So when I was given the task of working on a traditional French Macaroon I could have not been more excited. Matthew and I both love them so aside from chocolate this is the next best thing

I actually cannot put in words how much I love macaroons. I LOVE them! Never again will any one of my family members try to steal a macaroon from me (it almost ruined Christmas one year). For me they bring back images of Paris, peering over the counter at Laudreee trying to choose from all of the beautiful colors. So many beautiful colors! As a gift, they are intoxicatingly romantic little desserts. Delicate, rich and beautiful truly a one of a kind treat.

However, making a dainty raw dessert is somewhat tricky. Raw desserts are often very dense and heavy- completely opposite from a French Macaroon. My efforts in the kichen have been surprisingly successful thus far, although I have not been able to quite capture the glow that you get on a traditional macaroon. I will. I have been working with different flours and sweetners to add flavour, but not density. There are no secrets to be revealed yet. It is a work in progress- but the end result is worth endless hours of trail and error!

Mast Brothers: Chocolate in Brooklyn

Posted by: Matthew

Mike and Rick Mast seem to have nailed it. Quit your day job and start making chocolate with your brother. Sounds like fun. And that is exactly what the Mast brothers seem like they are doing-having fun. Mike spent his former life in finance and Rick was a chef and worked at some of the top restaurants throughout the city- until they both quit their jobs and started pursuing their passion for making chocolate. The perfect team for making chocolate business.

In case you aren’t familiar, the Mast Brothers are a duo of chocolatiers in Brooklyn. Their product has recently gained much attention, and for good reason. As high-end chocolate bars pop up all over the place, making different claims of quality and originality it can seem a bit daunting to choose. The Mast Brothers do, however, have valid claim for their newfound popularity. They are one of the few chocolate houses in the US that takes the chocolate from bean to bar. Their hands are all over it. They carefully source organic, single origin Venezuelan and Ecuadorian cacao for their product. Once they have selected the beans they then clean, roast and process the chocolate right in their own Brooklyn “factory”. The finishing touch is added by hand wrapping each bar in beautiful vintage Italian wrapping papers. The bars are so pretty that it took me more than the usual one second to open it- and, I saved the paper.

So, how much fun do the Mast brothers seem like they are having? I was lucky enough to visit their “factory” in Brooklyn one lovely Saturday, the same weekend that they were written up in the New York Times. The space is only open to the public on the weekends, and the rest of the time it is put to good use. Needless to say, it was busy. I was a little ambivalent going into the hype, the coolness factor. Was this just another venture of reverse prestige- the kind of place where you walk in and you are quickly forced to be reminded that you actually are missing something.

The moment I entered, I changed my mind. There was a bustle and energy in the air that made you feel like you had found something special, or just walked into someone’s really cool apartment. The “factory” itself was more like a pristine chocolate laboratory with immaculate equipment, tables and tiles, some new, some vintage. The smell of chocolate and roasted cacao was in the air. The bars were tastefully displayed in a make-shift retail space on Cacao beans seducing you with the charm of the papers, and Rick Mast was behind the counter with a big grin on his face, eager to answer any questions. There were family and friends helping out, and Mike Mast was in the back making chocolate beer, observing the crowd from a distance. I felt like I was at the world’s coolest garage party. Chocolate, homemade beer and cute boys- Hello? Yes, please. When I was up for purchase, indecision kicked in as much because of the flavors as the wrappers. There were about ten different flavors to choose from, but this is constantly changing. The price for three bars was $20, or about $7 dollars a bar – very reasonable for artisan chocolate. I, of course, went for dark chocolate, which is all vegan. I chose the dark chocolate with nibs (Rick’s favorite), dark chocolate with sea salt (a specialty), and dark chocolate with cranberries (because of the paper). Rick asked if I would like him to hand tie them in twine- of course! I felt like I walked out with a little stack of presents. The taste does not disappoint. Pure, smooth, crisp and delicious- not too bitter and not too sweet. Each flavor is very straightforward. You taste the nibs, the salt, and the cranberries as separate elements from the chocolate, which I really like. My impression of the chocolate is the same as it was for the Mast brothers themselves, genuine, quality and unpretentious.

So why even write an article about someone else’s really great chocolate that isn’t raw or even all vegan for that matter. Whether you love Mast Brothers Chocolate or not- or think that it is comparable to the finest French or Italian delight, there is one thing that I gained from my experience. The Mast Brothers are cool, and what they are doing is very cool. As elements of our own country and economy are in such a state of disarray, it is important to support our local artisans, who are putting forth a great effort to bring a product to the market with integrity, heart and soul. And that makes you a little bit cooler too.

www.mastbrotherschocolate.com